A Little Slice Of Stability
The pages of the letter felt far too sharp for her fingers. She read the words that were trapped on its lined again over and over again, trying to convince herself that there was no way that this had happened. The hum of the office became nothing and she knew that she was in trouble. When she was upset, the whole world faded away.
"Sweetie?"
Temperance raised her head.
"Yes?"
"Are you ok? You look pale"
Angela moved deeper into the office and took the seat across from her. Her hands shook as she handed the slim collection of papers to her best friend and did her best to stop the tears from falling.
"Did you know her very well?"
"She was one of my best friends in college. I can't believe she's gone"
"Can I get you anything?"
"No"
Angela glanced at her one last time before slipping out of the office. It was only when she was alone that she allowed the tears to fall, tumbling back into the memories that had once meant so much to her.
Angela pounced on Booth the moment that he had swiped his card that allowed him entry to the lab.
"Booth, we have an emergency"
"What now?"
"Brennan just found out that her old school friend died."
"Shit. How?"
"She was murdered"
Booth nodded once and moved away from Angela, making a straight line for Bones, who he knew would be in her office. After all, she practically lived there. He paused at the door and watched her for a few moments. She was lost in her grief, a fistful of tissues in her hand, a letter in the other. He opened the door and took the seat across from her without a word. He waited for her to speak.
"They caught the guy who did it"
"Good."
"She left behind her husband and three kids. It seems impossible that she is gone."
"Bones, have you finished work for the evening?"
"I suppose so. Why?"
"Because you need a drink and I am just the man to take you for one."
She put up not fight as he got her coat off the back of her door and slipped it over her shoulders. He handed her her handbag and with one arm around her back, guided her out of the office and lab. They drove silently to the closest bar and settled themselves on the bar stools. Booth did not think that tonight was the night for beer and so ordered two glasses of whiskey. Temperance downed hers without a moment of thought and Booth followed suit before ordering two more.
"I'm sorry about your friend Bones"
"She was an incredible woman. You would have liked her. She was a little like Angela. Always trying to take me out, get me drunk and send me home with guys."
"What was her name?"
"Isabel Leery. You should not be letting me drink Booth"
Booth gave her a smile before ordering another round.
"Alcohol is good for the soul Bones. It calms you down"
"And gives you a headache"
He let her drink two more whiskeys before bringing up the obvious.
"Are you going to go to the funeral?"
She shook her head as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"I can't. I didn't know her as well as I once did. We said good-bye when we graduated."
"But this puts an entirely different spin on things. Your friend died Bones, you should say good-bye"
"She wasn't my friend after college. We never stayed in contact like we had promised we would."
"People grow up and become new people. I lost plenty of friends when I left school."
"You had friends that you could afford to lose. I didn't have anyone, still don't really have anyone."
Booth tried to make sure that her eyes were one his but he wasn't certain. She had had nothing to eat today, that much he knew. She had just downed four whiskeys in quick succession and he could see the sparkle in her eyes that indicated the alcohol was taking effect.
"You have more people then you realize Bones"
She shook her head and smiled at him.
"Isabel used to tell me the worst jokes. How do you know a blonde is having a bad day?"
"How?"
"Her tampon is behind her ear and she can't find her pencil"
The joke wasn't even funny but he laughed anyway. Maybe the alcohol was working its magic on him too.
"Ok I have a joke for you Bones. How do you get a blonde to stay in the shower all day?"
"How?"
"By giving her a bottle of shampoo that says 'lather, rinse, repeat'"
Temperance snorted and gave a little chuckle.
"If the rest of your jokes are that bad, I'm going to need another drink"
Booth indicated to the bar keep, only this time he took the whole bottle and they stumbled to a near by booth. He was a little worried about falling off that bar stool if he laughed to hard.
"Ok Bones, your turn"
She took another drink before flashing him a wide, drunken smile.
"What did the blonde say when she saw a box of Cheerios?"
"What?"
"Oh look, donut seeds!"
Booth leaned back in his seat as a spasm of laughter over took him. Temperance was laughing just as hard, waving her hand to try and stop it.
"Why is it that we are picking on blondes?"
"Because it's easy. My turn. Why did the blonde have square boobs?"
"Why?"
"Because she forgot to take the tissues out of the box!"
It continued this way long into the night. Except Booth stopped drinking and Bones continued, refusing to allow him to take the bottle away. Only when she stopped making sense did he suggest that they call a cab and get her home. She didn't agree, just leaned against him as he put her coat around her shoulders and all but carried her out the bar door. He took her house keys from her pocket and half dragged, half carried her to the front door. He took her to the room and after she had collapsed onto the bed, was faced with a difficult decision. Did he undress her or leave her be? He settled for half undressing her, taking off her shoes and socks before popping the blankets over her. He paused to push the hair from her flushed face and jumped a little when her hand grabbed his wrist.
"Booth?"
"Hmm?"
"We friends?"
He smiled down at her, happy to see that even she dropped entire words and the common use of grammar when she was drunk.
"Of course we are"
"Cause we center"
He carefully extracted his hand and tucked her arm back under the blankets.
"That's right Bones, we are the center"
He turned to leave but paused when she spoke again.
"Booth?"
"Yeah?"
"Sleep on the sofa. Too drunk. Blankets in cupboard. Drive me to work"
He smiled as he closed the door behind him and began to make the bed on the sofa. He arranged the blankets on the sofa before wondering over to the large bookshelf that dominated half of the room. Curiosity got the better of him when he spotted a couple of year books from her years in high school. He got comfortable and started flicking through the pages. There was nothing unusual about it, pictures of clubs, cheerleaders and jocks dominated the print. It was only when he got to the student pictures that he finally saw Bones, but even then he almost missed her. There she was, a non descript girl, hidden amongst all her made out peers. Her hair had a messy curl to it and the long edges hung forward, creating some sort of protective barrier to the outside world. He could see the same sharp blue eyes peering out from the page and the curve of her mouth was soft and gentle. It was harder now, worn out with years of unhappiness and frustration. He felt a tug of sympathy for the girl that the world had forgotten. She could have done anything with her life, could have turned into a criminal if she had wanted to follow that family trend. Get back at the world that had pushed her aside. Instead, she had chosen a career that helped others. He took off his hat to her for that kind of courage. He placed the year book back on the shelf and located the one for her first year at college. He found her again but this time it was a little easier. Her back was straight; her hair tamed and neatly combed, a small smile on her face. Bones had told him once that while she had known that she had wanted to study bones for years, it wasn't until she entered college that she felt like she had finally found the place she was meant to be. The angry little girl had turned into a softer young woman and her eyes showed that. She didn't look at ease but she certainly didn't look like she was ready to run from the room. He continued to flick and stumbled across a picture that made him pause. It was Bones, lost in conversation with her friend Isabel Leery. They had their arms around each other and he could tell by the slight tilt of her head that Bones was about to laugh and that Isobel was the reason for it. He took a post-it from the table nearby and jotted a little note, ear marking the page. He left the book open on the table and let himself fall asleep.
Work was hell on wheels. She hated going in hung over, worst still, Booth went in with her, sending the rumor mill into over drive. She had hidden herself in her office and counted herself lucky that it was a quiet day. She had caught a cab home as soon as she could and set about making herself some dinner. It was only when she had settled herself on the sofa in front of the T.V that she saw the open year book. She picked it up and read the note that was attached to the page.
Remember the good times Bones. You need to say good bye to the friend that made you feel like this.
I'm here if and when you need me.
Booth.
She pulled off the note and studied the picture. She remembered that day clearly. She had been trying to study but Isabel would not have it. Temperance had tried over and over again to read her books before Isobel confiscated them and made her sit through an hour of bad jokes to make her relax. It had worked. She had passed the test and Isabel had always insisted it was because of that day under the tree. Temperance didn't even notice she was crying until the tears began hitting the page, staining that happy picture that would stay that way forever. It only took her a moment to make her decision and when she had, she picked up her phone and dialed the number of the one man that she could depend on.
He didn't say anything. He didn't try to comfort her, he was just there. She must have had something on her face that told him that she needed one because after the service, he pulled her into a tight hug, rocking her slightly. She was emotionally exhausted. She had met Isabel's husband, a man that she had met a few times in college. She had looked into the faces of her friend's little girls and wondered how they would deal without their mother. She had met the rest of Isabel's family and friends and had finally said good bye. She couldn't stop the memories from flooding back, the laughter and the tears that they had shared. The promise that they had made to remain best friends, one that had never come to fruition.
"Are you ok Bones?"
She sniffed and shook her head as they slowly made their way back to hiss car.
"No."
In a move that was entirely new, he reached over and took her hand in his. He didn't even look at her as he lead her to the car, opening the door for her and helping her slip into the seat. Normally this kind of behaviour pissed her off. She was not a china doll and the slightest move would not harm her. But today, that's exactly how she felt. As if the slightest bump would leave her shattered on the ground. He waited until she had strapped herself in before closing the door gently and climbing into the driver's seat.
"Booth?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for this. Thank you for helping me say good-bye."
Booth gave her a slight smile as he started the car.
"I wish that I had met her"
"Isabel?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I would have loved to have met the woman that had made you look that happy. You almost seemed carefree in that picture Bones. All the burdens that you carried where gone and for a moment you were a normal young woman in college. Someone who could make you forget those things, even for a few seconds, earns some sort of admiration."
"She was a fantastic person."
"More importantly Bones, she made you a better person for knowing her."
She settled back in her seat and they drove in silence. It was only when the car stopped that she snapped out of her day dream and turned to him.
"Why are we stopping?"
"After today, I need a drink"
"No more drinking"
"We'll take it easy, I promise"
She frowned at him but followed him into the bar anyway. She trusted him enough to not put her through yet another hang over.